Bottle-case.



B. T. WEBB.

BOTTLE CASE.

APPucATmN man AP11.2.1917.

1.240,520. Patented sept. 18, 11117.

UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

BENJAMIN T. WEBB, OF BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FOURTI-I TO L.

JULIAN TOOLE, ONE-FOURTH T0 GEORGE E. KYSER, AND ONE-FOURTH TO ALGER-NON 'W. NELSON.

BOTTLE-CASE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 18, 1917.

To all 'whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN T. WEBB, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing atBirmingham, in the county'of Jefferson and State ofAlabama, have 1nvented certain new and useful Improvements inBottle-Cases, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to bottle cases or boxes intended for the handlingof bottles of soda water, beer and the like.

The object of my invention is to provide a bottomless box in which thecompartments or pockets for the bottles are formed by recesses cutdownwardly into but not entirely through the opposing faces of the sidewalls and intermediate partitions 0f the case. In order that the caseshall be light and require as little material as possible, and at thesame time be of maximum serviceability and strength, I have designed the-case with the sides and partitions of equal height and I prefer to makeall of stock which tapers from the base to the top and is boredvertically after the case is assembled by a wide diameter auger whichstops just short of the bottom of the partitions and sides so as toleave a bottom ledge for supporting the bottles. The auger is shapedto'cause this ledge to slope toward the bottom opening left between thepartitions and sides to prevent trash accumulating therein. For economyin manufacture, the partitions and sides are formed of square stocksawed diagonally so as to produce two similar half portions, theoartitions having their ends sawed in the same operation to cause eachside to slope symmetrically with reference thereto.

Another important feature of my invention is the arrangement of thepartitions with the bottle recesses or pockets on each side thereof andwith their wide bases spaced to leave bottom openings less in width thanthe diameter of the bottle tops, thus permitting the cases to be stackedand to be easily drawn oif lengthwise without the tops of the bottles inthe cases catching or holding the case above them. All trash,

labels, crowns and thelike, which tend to accumulate in the cases,causing them to rapidly rot, will fall out through the open* ings leftbetween the partitions and thus increase the life of the case.

Another feature of my invention relates to the manner in which the sidesand partitions a-re jointed to the ends so as to give the case greatstrength.

These and other objects of my invention will be more fully understood byreference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l shows the casein top plan view.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line 2-2 of Fig. l, showing thebottle cases in stacked relation.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of Fig. l taken on the line 3 3.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of Fig. 1 taken on the line 4-4a Fig. 5 is aperspective view of a portion of the box.

Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout thedrawings.

The box has sides 1 connected by rabbeted joints to the ends 2. Betweenthe sides and parallel therewith are a series of vertical partitions 3.The sides and partitions are formed of stock which tapers from the baseupwardly, the side tapers only on the inner faces while the partitionson each face. The width of the bases is such that in assembled relationthey leave bottom openings 4 slightly less in width than the diameter ofthe tops of the bottles 5 which the case is designed to carry. Theobject of this, as seen in Fig. 2, is to permit a case to be seated onthe tops of the bottles in a case under it and to be slid off from itwithout the bottles catching in the bottom openings 4. This arrangementis important as it is the common practice in the handling of cases ofall kinds of bottled goods, and particularly of soda water. beer and thelike for which the case under consideration is more particularly in!tended, to stack the cases of bottles on each other and to draw the topcases lengthwise from the stack as they are used. The case illustratedis provided with three partitions 3, the intermediate partition beingnailed or otherwise fastened between the ends 2 while the two sidepartitions are left with bottom lips 6 which are mortised into the ends2 to increase the rigidity of the case. The intermediate partition iscut away at its ends opposite the hand holes 7.

After the partitions and sides are as- .sembled in the manner described,a battery of augers of large diameter are employed to bore the seats orrecesses for the bottles, which recesses stop short of the bottom of theease so as to leave segmental seats 8 upon which the bottom of thebottle rests and which slope from all sides toward the openings 4. Thesides of the pockets 9 are curved and are struck on a diameter greaterthan that of the bottles so that the latter can be freely inserted andremoved. The pockets, being left open at their bottoms by the spaces 4between the partitions and sides, will be kept clear of trash andforeign matter which will escape therethrough. This will keep the bottomdry and greatly increase the life of the case.

lt is only by using the taper stock for the partitions and sides thatthe case can be constructed light enough for practical use and yethaving bottom openings 4 too narrow for the bottle necks to passtherethrough.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

l. In a bottomless case for bottles, sides and ends suitably connected,spaced vertical partitions which taper upwardly and are partially cutaway to form segmental bottle seats, and ledges on said partitions atthe bottom of the seats, substantially as described.

2. In a bottomless case for bottles, sides and ends suitably connected,spaced vertical partitions which taper upwardly and are partially outaway to form segmental bottle seats, and ledges on said partitions atthe bottom of the seats, which ledges slope toward the spaces betweenthe bases of the partitions, substantially as described.

3. A bottomless case for bottles comprising ends, sides and partitionsparallel with the sides, the partitions and sides being wider at thebase than at the top, and bottle seats bored downwardly nearly to butnot through the bottoms of the partitions and sides, as and for thepurposes described.

4. A bottomless case for bottles having ends, sides and intermediatepartitions, the sides having their inner faces sloping Jfrom the topinwardly to the bottom, and the partit-ions having their side facessloping from wide bases upwardly toward narrow tops, the spaces betweenthe bases of the sides and partitions being less than the diameter ofthe necks of the bottles to be used in the case, and bottleseats'i'ormed by segmental recesses bored downwardly partway through theside faces of the sides and partitions, and bottom ledges left at thebottom of each of said seats to support the bottles, substantially asdescribed.

ln testimony whereof I aliix my signature.

BENJAMEN T. WEBB.

Witness:

NoMIE VELSH.

